Cigarette case



Dec'.6, 1938. H. J. GAESS Y 2,138,916

CIGARETTE CASE Patented Dec. 6, 1938 UNITED STATES CIGARETTE CASE HelmuthwJ. Gaess, Palisade, N. J., assigner .to Theodore E. Gaess, Palisade, N. J.

Application July 12, 1937', Serial No. 153,166

1 Claim.

This invention relates toa cigarette case and f'o'r an `object to provide 'a simple, compact and 'convei'ii'en't cigarette case having a neat and pleasing appearance.

Other and more specific objects will be apparent as the nature of the invention is more fully disclosed.

The features of the invention consist in the novel and improved details of construction and 10 combinations of parts hereinafter more fully set forth.

Although the novel features which are believed to be characteristic of this invention are set forth more in detail in the appended claim, the invention itself will be better understood by referring to the following description, taken in connection with the accompanying drawing, in which certain specific embodiments thereof have been set forth for purposes of illustration.

20 In the drawing:

Fig. 1 is a perspective View of a cigarette case embodying the present invention;

Fig. 2 is a vertical section taken along the line 2-2 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is an end elevation of the cigarette case in open position;

Fig. 4 is a top plan view thereof;

Fig. 5 is a perspective of the cigarette case in open position;

Fig. 6 is a detail view of a portion of the cigarette case illustrating a further embodiment of the invention; and

Fig. 7 is a partial end elevation of the embodiment shown in Fig. 6.

In the following description and in the claim certain specific terms are used for convenience in referring to the various details of the invention.

It is to be understood, however, that these terms are to be given as broad an interpretation as the state of the art will permit.

Referring to the drawing more in detail, the cigarette case is shown as comprising a body portion I which may be made of suitable material, such as wood or plastic. The body ID is provided with flat sides II and rounded ends I2 and with internal bores I3 which are adapted to receive a row of parallel cigarettes. The dimensions of the body I0 are such that the ends of the cigarettes project beyond the bores I3 of the body so that case.

The ends I2 of the body I0 are provided with inclined surfaces I4 which are adapted to form stops for the wings to be described. The top I5 of the body is provided with bevelled surfaces they are readily accessible for removal from theV I6 on opposite sides of the bores I3 which are adapted to cooperate with corresponding surfaces on the wings.

The body I lis closed -by a pair of wing vmembers which are provided with recesses 2I adapted to provide clearance for the projecting ends of the cigarettes when the wing members are closed. These wings are provided with hinge members 22 which are positioned at the ends thereof and are hinged by screws 23 to the ends I2 of the body IIl. The hinge members 22 are so formed that, when in closed position, as shown in Fig. l, they form substantially a continuation of the ends I2. The hinge members 22 are. also provided with surfaces 25 which form stops to limit the movement of the wings in open position as shown in Fig. 5.

The wings are provided with inclined surfaces 26 which cooperate with the inclined surfaces I4 of the body I0 to limit the movement of the wings in closed position so as to hold the same in alignment with the body I0. The wings are also provided with inclined surfaces 30 which engage the bevelled surfaces I6 at the top of the body IIJ so as to form a tight seal to prevent the tobacco from spilling out of the cigarette case and also cause the wings to lie flush with the sides II of the body when the wings are closed. The wings may be held closed by any suitable means, such as a pair of snap beads 3l which are attached to the separate wings and are resiliently mounted so as to form a readily releasable latch for the members.

It will be noted that the above described cigarette case occupies a minimum amount of space inasmuch as it is not app-reciably thicker than a row of cigarettes. When closed it presents a neat and pleasing appearance and is somewhat similar in lines to a ladys conventional handbag. When open, however, the ends of the cigarettes are readily accessible for removal. Furthermore, the rigid construction prevents any pressure from being applied to the cigarettes; consequently, the cigarettes are retained in their proper shape and are not distorted or damaged while being carried. The case is preferably made of wood which, in addition to providing a rigid construction, has a beneficial effect on the tobacco which is held therein. It is to be understood, however, that the case can be made o-f any suitable plastic material or of any combination thereof.

In the embodiment shown in Figs. 6 and '7 a spring is provided around the hinge screw 23 and is adapted to normally open the wings 20. The wings are held in closed position in this embodiment by means of a pin 36 which is mounted on a spring member 31 attached to the end l2 of the body I0 and provided with a plunger 38 which extends through an aperture 39 in said ends in a position to be engaged by the hand of the user. The pin 36 engages recesses 40 formed in the two hinge members 22 and is adapted, when seated, to hold these members closed. When the plunger 38 is depressed, the spring 31 is flexed and is caused to retract the pin 36 from the recesses 49, thereby releasing the Wings 20 and permitting them to open in response to the action of the spring 35. In this embodiment the cigarette case is automatically opened by pressing the plunger 38, and is automatically locked when closed by the pin 36 which snaps into the recesses 5U.

Although specic embodiments of the invention have been shown and described for purposes of illustration, it is to be understood that the invention is capable of various uses and that changes and modifications may be made therein as will readily be apparent to a person skilled in the art. The invention is to be limited only in accordance with the following claim when interpreted in View of the prior art.

What is claimed is:

A cigarette case comprising a at body member having bores to receive a row of parallel cigarettes With their ends projecting beyond the top of said body, a pair of side Wings hinged to said body and projecting above the top thereof, said Wings having recesses to accommodate said projecting cigarette ends when closed and having hinge members at their ends, said hinge members projecting below said Wings and being pinned to the ends of said body and lying entirely Within the confines of the surface of the case when in Lclosed position, said body having upwardly projecting tabs provided with inclined surfaces,vsaid Wings having cooperating inclined surfaces engaging said first surfaces for holding the Wings in alignment with said body when closed, whereby the closed wings lie flush with the surface of the body and form substantially a continuation thereof and snap memberscarried by the respective wings for holding the same in closed position.

I-IEIMUTH J. GAESS. 

